Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-10-29
No ..N,hiii.t,, Party I'm Russia.

From Mr. George Kennan's first paper in his
series on russia and Siberia, in the November
Century, we take the following remarkable
statement:
There is no protesting party in Russia TO which
the term "nihilistic" can be properly applied.
This may, perhaps, seem like paradoxical state
ment In View OF the fact that we have never
heard OF any other protesting party In Russia;
bat 1t is true statement, nevertheless. There is
no party In the empire which deliberately chooses
violence and bloodshed as the best possible means
OF attaining It's ends; there Is no party which
aims merely at the overthrow Of existing institu-
uons and there Is no party which breaches or
practices a philosophy OF negation and destruc-
ton. / make these assertions confidently, be-
cause my acquaintance with sO-called .snihiiists"
is probably more extensive and thorough than that
OF any other foreigner, and / have discussed
these questions with them for many hundreds
revolutionistS, and "terrorists" have met In ali
varieties, both In European Russia and among the
exes In siberia put nihilist In the proper or even
OF course, II you use the term 'nihilist," as you
would the term "know-nothing," merely to denote
erence to the original significance Of the appella
ton, you may apply 1t to any body OF men-to the
knights OF Labor, for example; but II you use the
cation, as you would use yellow TO describe an
orange, you cannot properly apply 1t to any
branch Of the protesting party in Russia. There
men to which II Is applicable.
The word ''ninilist" was introduced in Russia by
Children" to describe certain type of character
which had then recently made It's appearance in
the ranks OF the rising generation and which he
contraSted sharply and effectively with the pre-
vailing types In the generation which was passing
from the stage. As applied to Bazarof, the skepu-
cal, materialistic. iconoclastic surgeons son In
TurgenefS novel, the word ''nihilist had natural
appropriateness which the Russian public at once
recognized There were differences OF opinion as
represented BY Bazaroi really existed but there
was no difference OF opinion with regard to the
appropriateness OF the term as applied to that
particular character. It was accurately descrip-
tive OF the type The word '.nihilist," however,
was soon caught up by the conservatives and by the
Government, and was applied indiscriminately by
them as an OpprobT.ous and discrrditing nickname
to all persons who were hot satisfied with the ex-
listing order OF things aud who sought, by any
active method whatever, % bring about changes
In Russian social and political organization To
many Of the reformers, icOnoclastS, and extreme
theorists Of that time the term 'nhiliSt" was per-
haps fairly applicable-as 1t certainly was for
example TO Bakunin and his fOllowers-and by
some OF them 1t was even accepted In a spirit OF
pride and defiance as an appellation which,
although a nickname, expressed concisely their
opposition to all forms Of authority based on force
To the great mass OF the Russian malcontents,
however, 1t had then, and has now, no appropri-
ate reference whatever. IL would be quite as fair
and quite as reasonable to say that the people in
the United States who were once called "know-
nothingS" were persons who really did not know
anything as TO say that the people in Russia
who are now called "nlh1l1siS" are persons
who really do not believe in anything, nor
respect anything, nor DO anything except de-
stroy. BY persistent iteration AMI reiteration,
however, the Russian government and the Russian
conservative class have succeeded in making the
world accept this Opprobious nicknyme as really
descriptive OF the character and opinions Of all
their opponents, from the terrorist" who throws
an explosive bomb under the carriage OF the Tsar,
down 10 the peaceful anu law-abding member OF
provincial assembly who respectfully asks leave
10 petition the crown for the redress OF grievances
1t would be hard to find another instance In his
tory where an incongruous and inappropriate ap-
been fastened "A HETEROGENEOUS
mass Of people o whose beliefs and actions it has
no sort OF applicability, or case In which an op-
probriOuS nickname has had so confusing and so
misleading an influence upon public opinion
throughout the world.
The people most misrepresented and wronged
by this nickname are unqueStiOnably the Russian
liberals-the members or the protesting party who
seek to obtain reforms by peaceable and legal
methods.